Information on the occurrence and abundance of the Critically Endangered smalltooth sawfish Pristis pectinata and largetooth sawfish P. pristis across most of their former range is needed for a comprehensive global conservation status assessment. The current presence of both species in Mexico and the rest of Latin America remains uncertain in the absence of dedicated studies. During 2015, we performed the first nationwide study of sawfishes in Mexico. We developed specific materials to survey fishers, raise community awareness, and publicize sawfish conservation needs. We interviewed 794 fishers in 71 localities along the Atlantic and Pacific coasts of Mexico. Additional data from a similar 2010−2011 survey of 39 fishers in Tabasco and Campeche were also included in the analysis. Both species might be nearly extirpated from Mexico. Interviewees reported modal decadal dates of last sighting as the 1980s for the smalltooth sawfish along the Atlantic coast and as the 1970s for the largetooth sawfish along both coasts. No confirmed reports of recent (< 5 yr) sightings were reported. However, a live juvenile smalltooth sawfish was caught in Veracruz in January 2016. Historical importance maps were reconstructed, indicating that both species were distributed along the entire surveyed area; the smalltooth sawfish was especially common in Campeche, Quintana Roo, and Tabasco, while the largetooth sawfish was common in Campeche, Colima, and Chiapas. Both species must be re-categorized in Mexican legislation for species at risk of extinction from 'threatened' to 'endangered'.

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The genus Rhinoptera is composed of eight species widely distributed in tropical, subtropical and temperate coastal waters, which inhabit bays, estuaries and river mouths. Cownose ray Rhinoptera bonasus has been reported to inhabit the Western Atlantic including the Gulf of Mexico and the Caribbean, whereas the Brazilian cownose ray R. brasiliensis has been considered endemic to the coast of Brazil. Recent reports of R. brasiliensis in the Gulf of Mexico bring about the question of whether the species has a wider range than previously reported. Here, the mitochondrial genes COI, Cytb, NADH2 and the nuclear gene RAG1 were used to distinguish among species and to confirm the presence of R. brasiliensis in the Gulf of Mexico. R. brasiliensis specimens collected along the southern Gulf of Mexico showed a remarkable genetic and morphological affinity when compared with R. brasiliensis specimens from Brazil, supporting the presence of the species in Mexico (from Veracruz through Campeche) and providing evidence that its distribution ranges from Brazil to the Caribbean Sea and the Gulf of Mexico. Both species overlap geographically to a large degree, leading to a reassessment of their conservation status. Our results also show that R. bonasus distribution in the Gulf of Mexico may be restricted to the northern portion, in US waters.

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